John hunt



invented a certain new and useful Machine this specification.

' the delivering-roller has commenced to move i from a pile and to feedthem the detaching and lifting means, whereby the sheet is separatedfrom the pile not only along its front edge, but at one or more otherpoints,

lifted, whereby the sheet is seized on its uplifted, all except theupper sheet are returned to certain novel means for raising and lower-UNITED STATES PATENT UFFICI-3.

JOHN HUNT, or New Yoan, N. Y., Assiejon 'ro niaisrnpivtzANn eictmen D.sHAnr, or SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR FEEDiNG PAPER To PRINTING-PRESSE-s,-

Speeiiieation forming part of Letters Patent No. 411,9! 7, datedNovember 1, 1864.-

To all whom it may corcern: Be it known that I, JOHN HUNT', of New Yorkcity, in the State of New York, have for Feeding Paper toPrinting-Presses 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a fulland exact description thereof.

The accompanying drawings form a part of p l Figure lisa side elevation.Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section correspondin, to Fig. l, the machinehaving just delivered a sheet and commenced preparing to take up anddeliver the next. A.

The remaining figures are corresponding sections through the principalparts, to show their relation at different periods.

11i-Fig. 3 'the suetioatubesere pressed down upon the paper. theact ofrising with asheet Fig. 5 these tubes have released .In Fig. et thesetubes are in i of paper. In i the sheet and l itjaway. i Similar lettersot` reference indicate like parts in all the figures. Tints are employedmerely to aid in distini guishing the several parts. A t-hin red lineindicates the sheet.

VMy machineis adapted to take the sheets singly at a proper time totheprinting-press. Only a portion of the feed-table of the printing-pressis represented. The machine is geared tothe press.

My improvements relate to a duplication cf so that the risk of feedingtwo or more sheets at a time is lessened. They alsorelate to certainnovel means for acting on the sheets after' they are detached from thepile and per face only, and in case two or more are shaftB, l l

B2 to the horizontal framed), so that the'lat- -02 is smaller than theWheel C',

to the pile' in good order. 'lh'ey also rela-te ing the table on'whichthe pile of paper is supported. They also relate to certain novel meansof'guiding the table in a vertical motion and 0t`.iusuring a horizontalposition of this table at all times. i

To enable others skilled in the art to make ingtheliftingmotion.

, n. Only and use my invention, I will proceed to describe itsconstruction and'operation bythe aid of the drawings and ol' the lettersof reference denoted thereon'.

A Ais a fixed framing,on whiclrall thcparts of my machine are 'mountedand guided.' Bis a stout shaft connected to the printingpress by gearing(not represented) v`so that the sha-ft B makes l one revolution for eachsheet ot' paper which is required' by the press. On the near end of theshaft Bisacrank, B2, and

on the other end is a crank, B', (represented,

in Figs. land 2,) set nearly at right angles to the crank B2. Aconnection, b', connects the cra-nk at the farther side of the'4 machineto an arm on the rocking shaft O, so as to rock the latter at eachrevolution of the crank- A. eo'nueetim ,b?. connectsItheerank terreciprocates horizontally forward and backward on its guides a a at eachrevolution of the shaft B. The rocking of the shaft O elevates theuppermost sheet of paper and holds it above the pile without moving ithorizontally, and the recprocating motion of the Aframe l) introducessuitable parts between the sheet and the remainder of the pile. Theshaft C carries two wheels, C' and GZ. lTo the periphery of i the formerare attached the ends ot' two straps, M' and N', which pass over pulleysin the top ot' the framing A and descend to the bellows M and N, and areadapted to operate them. These bellows are mounted, respectively, inslides M2 and N2, which slides are adapted to move vertically insuitable ways in the framing'A. These slides are operated by straps M3and N3, Which pass over pulleys in the framing, as represented, and areattached to the wheel C2. This wheel and is of nearly elliptical form,as represented. j Their arrangement, as described, causes the bellows Mand N tobe both expanded simultaneously before the slides in which theyare mounted coinmenceto lift, and to expand further dur- They areprovided each with a system of vertical pipes, through which the air isdrawn when thebellows are expanded. The bellows N draws air up throughthe pipes through these pipes, beeausetheiroflice is to retain againsttheir lower ends the topmost a very little .air is actually drawn inrelation of the wheels C and (J2, which at this sneet of paper, causingit to adhere thereto by l d and the clamps E. The means for conveythepressure of the air while they rise. They l ing it away then come intoaction atthe front are, therefore,so nearly stopped up by the presedgeand 'commence to draw thc sheet torl ward, while the clamps E, at therear edge, little air linds its way in. That little is disl by pressingdown upon the pile, prevent any charged at the top of the bellows duringthe i sheet from being moved which has not been closing motion of thebellows, which motion, lifted and divided from the pileat the rear aswill bc readily understood, takes place duri edge as well as the frontedge. It follows that ing the descent. The trame D carries a broad incase I chance to litt two sheets at 'the front piece oi' metal, d, whichis very smooth on its edge, only the uppermost sheet of the two is uppersurface, and is by the motion of D indrawn forward and fed to theprintingfpress, terposed under the front edge of each sheet ot' becausethe lowermost otA tho two is held by paper as soon as it is Well lifted.The recip' the device at the rear edge. Two sheets canrocating movementof the frame D, which efnot be delivered at once, except in' the veryl'ects this interposition, acts throughthe conrare case of two chancingto be lifted at both ence of the sheet ot' paper that only a verynection D', which is on the farther side of the the front and the rearedge at the same time. machine, and rocks the larm E' and shaft c, L isa table, o1. whichvthe pile of paper is and consequently the broadholding clamps deposited and gradually lifted to compensate or lingersE. rlhese latter are consequently forthe removal ot' sheets from thetop. The introduced under the sheet at its rear edge at weight of thetable and of its load rests on the the same time that the plate (l isintroduced bent lever O, which turns on the shaft 0 by the under thesheet at the front and pressed upon agency of the chain l). rIhis chainl) is slowly l l l the remainder ot the pile.

G is a small roll, covered with rubber or the of the machine. At eachrevolution ot' the like. lt is rotated by the belt H from the shaft B,one sheet ot' paper having been repulley I. rlhis pulley is rotated bythe belt lnnoved from the pile, the remainder ot' the pile J from thepulley B3 on the shaft B. l is raised by a very slight turning of theshaft `The frame K is adapted to raise and lower l Q through the lockingof'thc wheel-*b* (indithe roll G und pulley G without disturbing catedby dotted lines in Fig. l) into the wheel i s rotary motion. lt supportsthe bearings Q during a small portion of the revolution of' ot' the rollG, and is hinged to the iiXed frame 1, B, and the turni'ngof Q bywinding the chain A by hinges lo at the back side. Its front end l lturns the bent lever O and raises the table rests on cams b on the shaftB during a por- L equal to the thickness of theshectof paper tion ofeach revolution, but after the sheet of removed.

paper has been raised by the suction-tubes m. Instead of a singlegear-wheel, Q', a' train ot' n, and the shuttle or dividing-plate d hasbeen g gearing .may be employed, and some ofv the introduced under it atthe front edge and the wheels may be changeable altter the mannerholding-clamp E at the back edge, the cams b of ehangcwvheels in alathe, so as to vary the allow it to sink down so as to bring the roll Gl motion to adapt the table to rise with proper down upon the loosesheet of paper by pressspeed for ditterent thicknesses of paper. The,ing it between itseltandthe piece or plate d. pawl R retains the wheelQ', or train ci' The roll (l is made of rubber or analogous wheels whichit representmbut whenever it material ot' a soft and strongly-frictionalchar- 'l is desired to lower the table L to supply more actcr, and movesthe paperl forward with cerpaper it is readily effected by raising thispawl tainty and promptitude, provided but one while the tooth b3 or b'Lis out of gear with the sheet is so embraced, and in case two sheetstrain.

chance to be so embraced the device at the Additionalmechanism(notrepresented)inay rear edge holds the under one and preventsbe supplied to control the descent of the table it from moving, and thetop one moves for- Landto adjustitsheight on commencing again :wardalone. lt may be observed that the to work. The table L should maintaina tubes m and a relax their hold on the sheet strictly horizontalposition as it rises and of paper immediately before the roll G sinks. 1attain this end and also guide it touches it, so that little resistanceis offered vertically by hinging to its edge strips of to its motion.rlhis is due to the form and board, which fold upon each other somewhatlike thc tblding parts of the familiar musical juncture lift on thebellows M and N very slowly, while they lift on theslides MlA and may beprovided ouali of the. four edges, cr N rapidly, and thus'close'thebellows 'and only on' two o'r three`edges. I have repre'- relieve themfrom their vacuum. It will now sented them on three edges. Common buttbeunderstood that the sheet is lift( d by hinges 'v w connect three edgesofthe table suction,77 generally so called-that is to say, to the outeredges of three boards, Y W X. it is taken from Jthe pile ol" paper byits ad- Hinges of, wf, and a" connect theinner edges ot' hesion 'to `thetubes m and a, in which a parthese boards V NV 'X with the inner edgesot' tial vacuum is formed, and, by the opening of similar boards, V WX', lying directly beh-.w the bellows M and N, it is so lifted, not onlyat them, andV 1'-,iniilar hinges, o2, wz, and .1.1, again its frontedge, but also atits rear edge, and it is l connect thtA other edges ct'the, boards Y', W',

permanently divided trom the pile by theplate l and 2x either to afurther continuation of the wound upon the shaft Q during the workinginstrument known as the accordion. They' series of hinged parts or to afixed portion of the framing A. In. either case the table is free -torise and sink by thcboards turning on y their'hinges. The-boards haveparallel edges," andare of uniformwidth.` vThe hinges' are well iitted,and compel a-'stri-ctlyvertical motion and a horizontal position ofthe'table. K at all times.`

I am aware that'it is' common to remove `sheets from a pile -byproducingaJ partial vac,- num in smallgfpiipjsliixressedrdovv-n4uponthesheetssuccessively, and that machines intended to perform all the useful'purposes of mine have been introduced with some degreeA I of success;but I believe that mine operates their proper order through' theconnections.

represented.- The vertical tubes m descend uponthe pilelof paper (whichpile is represented in the drawings -as very low) and press their lowerends upon the upper surface of the .upper shei t. 'The bellows M nowpartinll y open and form a parti-.il vacuumjn these tubes im and-n..Next the tubes m commence'.`

` to rise. The pressure of the air 'beneath tends to hold the front edgeof the uppermost Y sheet tightly up against the ends of the'tubes m andto -compel it to rise. with it but as thereis onlv a litt-lc airin thevery thinspacer.

between` thetopmost sheet and the next, the elastic expansion of this-a-ir is only sufficient to raise the sheet a small distance, andalthough the flow of additional air inward'from. the edge ot the'pile toperfect the separation of this sheet from the pile is "rapid, itsometimes happens that the front edges oftwoor more sheets may chance tobe thus taken-up at the same time. Let us suppose two sheets to havebeen Ithus unintentionally taken at the front edge andthen see' what hasbeen meanwhile -takingplace atthe backedge. We find i that apreciselysimilar' operation has been' there performed by the tubes n and bellowsN and that the rear edge has been also lifted. But a similaraccident-has not probably ocl cured there, and we iind that theuppermost sheet alone' has been taken up at the rear edge.

So soonas the tubes m and n, with their attached parts,.have -lifted thefront and rear edges'to a sufficient height, the plate d is introducedunder the front edge and the-clamp 'BunderLthe-rear edge.l Next' ,theyadvance 'ffartherii1 `ward`,"'the; clamp E presses down np'onithexrearof the pile, the bellows M and N partially collapse so as to allow thesheet @to be easily pulled away fromthe tubesm and a, and therollG dropsdown and seizes the two sheets which have been lifted at the front edge.The roll G by its friction immediately 'commences to remove the topmostsheet, but

not to remove the next sheet, because the next sheet is -held beneaththe lclamp E at the rear edge. Thetop sheeton being carried forward bythe friction of the roll G is delivered upon. the feedtable of theprintingpress and is -thence'delivered into the press to be printed andremoved in the `ordinary manner. So soon as the uppermost sheet has beenfully delivered, the roll Grises, the clamp E relaxes its hold, and bothitself and the plate d are moved away. The sheet which had beenacddently lifted' at the front. edge and retained by the clamp at therear edge now resumes its original place on the pile, and the tubes m,-and n descendjhnd `cause it to'adhere and be lifted and removedproperly, like'its predecessor. In case a sheet is lifted properly, atthe front edge while two are by accident lifted at the rear edge, onlythe one which is lifted at the front edge will be removed, because theother will be below instead 'of above the plate d, and consequently willnot each sheet is removed the shaft Q is turned a very little, and chainP taken up and the lever O turned a very little. The effect is to liftthe table L a space equal to the thickness of the' sheet of paperremoved, and when the pile is,

lows the parts to resume their places and a new pile to be placedon thetable.y As the tablel rises or sinks, the boards V-V and W W', allowingonly a motion around their axes, the table L cannot move or inclineforward or hack, .but must ,move vertically and maintain a horizontalposition.

1 Some of the advantages due to certain featurescf my inventienmay-beseparately enumerated, as follows z,

First. By reason ot' my employment lof the rear suction-tubes, n, and myclamp E, inde. pendently of the tubes m and the parts corref spendingtherewith, I am able to better insure the delivery of only one sheet ofpaper atatime,

because, iu case two or more sheets ot" paper should by chance be liftedto be taken off at rear edge. It is rare to have a 'similar acci. dentoccur in the independent mechanism' at the two edges at the same time,andmy ma- `chine will, by'reason of these devicesat the morethan onesheet at a time.- It maybe remark'ed that the. duplication of the setsof vacuum tubes m and n may be carried still further, if desired, so asto have three 'or more sets of tubes acting on different.4 parts of the.f

sheets with retainers corresponding in function to my clamps E, toretain at each point all .f

convey it away without requiring any other be subjected to any action oftheroll G. As

consumed a removal ot' the detent or pawl althe'front edge, all exceptthe top one would .y be held by the clamps or retainers E at the rearedge, very rarely if ever feed lforward 1 am able to lift the table L ata proper rate than a vertical movement in the suction or l vacuumdevices. In ordinary machines-of this character the suction-tubes arerequired to move forward and drag the sheet along a certain distance,and the hold by suction is villy adapted to perform such a function andis liable to slip.

Third. By reason of my widelyseparated4 teeth. l)2 b, wheel or traih ot'wheels Q, pawl R, chain P, and lever O, or their equivalents,

and to lovrerA thc vsaine with great facility, as required. It may beobserved that the teeth b2 may be duplicated by inserting others insuitable holes, (not represented on the periphery of the Wheeh) so as toincrease the number of rates at which the table L may be raised, but theteeth b2, &c., must in all casesbe so wide apart as to leave the trainof wheels Q' free at some period in the revolution, so as to allow thetable to be lowered at such period by lifting the pawl R.

' Fourth. By reason of my jointed or hinged guides V and W and hinges vw, arranged relatively to the lower guides, V' W', and hinges v vz w'fwl, in the manner represen-ted,- am able tc guide the table L and toretain it always in a perfectly horizontal condition with very littlemechanism and Without sensible fthe purpose herein friction. I termthese parts, taken collectively, an accordion motion, because ot' itsanalcl gous appearance, butv there is not any similarity of functionthereto.

Having nou7 fully described my invention, what I claim as new therein,and dosire'to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

l. ln papenfeeding machines, the suction devices n and retaining-clampE, for the pn'rpose of guarding against feeding too many sheets at once,as herein set forth.

2. The reciprocating plate or divider d an( friction device G, or Yitsequivalent, arranged relatively tothe lifting device m, so as to re-.

vertical motion cf the latter,

quire a simply `substantially in the manner and pose herein set forth.'I y 3. In combination with a paper feeding-ma chine, a table-motioncomposed oi' the Widelyseparated teeth` b2, wheel Q', pavv'l E, and thechain and lever P and 0, or their equivalents, arranged substantially inthe manner and for set forth.

a. The accordion-like mechanism composed of the parts V V' and W W', ortheir equivafor the purlents, hinged together. and adapted to guide' themotion and compel the horizontal position of the table L, substantiallyyin the manner and for the purpose herein set forth; JOHN HUNT.`Witnesses D. W. Srn'rson, HENRY M. CoLLrnn.

